A Mischief in the Snow »

A winter of discontent...

January 1766. A dangerous mishap brings young widow Charlotte Willett unexpectedly to bleak and marshy Boar Island, a few miles from the village of Bracebridge and home to two eccentric elderly women. Some say that arrogant, unpopular Alexander Godwin — the only villager to regularly call upon the island's two residents — hopes to inherit the cavernous house when its owner finally passes on.

But when Alexander is brutally murdered after the town's annual winter fête, Charlotte and her neighbor Richard Longfellow can't help but wonder who among Alexander's detractors might be responsible. Is his death connected to his activities on Boar Island — or to the unearthly trickery rumored to take place there? Could the rivalry over a beautiful young woman have sparked a more dangerous passion? And will the answers reveal themselves before death strikes Boar Island again?

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In the winter of 1766 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Charlotte Willet goes ice skating on the nearby Musketaquid River. All by herself, Charlotte enjoys her time gliding on the frozen river until a thin section of ice cracks sending her into the freezing water. She manages to pull herself out of the icy water. However, Charlotte realizes that Boar Island, the home of two female hermits, is much closer than her house in Braceville. Realizing that only teenager Alexander Godwin visits the ladies when he delivers items to the isolated females, Charlotte prudently pays a visit on wealthy Catherine Knowles and her companion Magdalena. Charlotte finds her host strange, but kind.Not too long after that, Charlotte's employee Lem Wainwright gets into a public spat with the obnoxious Alex, but nothing except threats occurs. However, soon Lem finds the murdered body of Alex. Lem is the obvious suspect having just had a fight with the victim just before his death and also having conveniently found the corpse. Charlotte, with the help of her neighbor Richard Longfellow, begins investigating who killed Alex.The fourth entry in the Willet colonial mystery series, A Mischief In The Snow, is an entertaining entry that lives up to its well-written predecessors. The story line provides readers with an engaging who-done-it, several enchanting characters especially Charlotte, and a deep look into Colonial America outside the Boston area. Margaret Miles makes Massachusetts circa 1760s a fun place for readers to visit.